Cave SHMUP Akai Katana Releases Next Week

Cult shooter Akai Katana has been officially dated for May 11th on Xbox 360, Rising Star Games confirmed to us today. This bullet hell SHMUP from genre masters Cave started life in Japanese arcades, and this new version includes "jaw dropping high definition" graphics as well as the original arcade experience.

Cave are world renowned for creating the biggest and best arcade shooters around, and we’re delighted to add Akai katana to that list, come May 11. No other arcade shooter offers the same explosive entertainment and wanton destruction as Akai Katana, and we can’t wait to let this lose on the public. - Martin Defries, managing director, Rising Star Games

With Cave now focusing almost exclusively on mobile games, we're delighted that Rising Star are still giving some of their best (and most difficult) arcade shooters a new lease of life. This follows the release of Deathsmiles Deluxe and DoDonPachi Resurrection last year, both of which released to critical acclaim. Bullet Hell shooters certainly aren't for everyone, but those who crave mechanical precision and more than a little punishment won't have long to wait.